Ducks 4, Stars 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. -Dallas failed to cool off California’s hottest team on Friday night. The Stars wrapped up their three-game trip with a 4-2 loss in Anaheim at Honda Center.

The Anaheim Ducks entered the game winners of their last five contests and just three points behind Conference and Division leader Los Angeles. Already with a 5-2 win over the Stars on October 26th behind them, the Ducks tried to take advantage of a tired Dallas squad by jumping on them early.

The Stars showed some fatigue playing in back-to-back nights, and were outshot 15-2 through the first twelve minutes of play. Anaheim launched 18 shots on net through the first 20 minutes, holding Dallas to just five of their own.

“They obviously watched how hard the game was last night. They had pretty good jump early,” Stars’ Head Coach Marc Crawford said, “We knew our goalie was going to have to be good, and I thought late in the first period, when they had the two-or-three good shifts, it showed our guys how hard you were going to have to work to get your chances.”

For the second straight night, it was a power play goal that proved to be the difference as the Ducks capitalized with Stephane Robidas off for delay of game, his third minor of the game. Bobby Ryan’s slapshot from the blue line was redirected off of Stars’ defenseman Trevor Daley’s glove and past goaltender Kari Lehtonen for Ryan’s sixth of the season.

“Any time you can get out and have the number of shots that we had in the first period, we were trying to take advantage,” Ducks’ Head Coach Randy Carlyle said, “We knew they played a tough game last night. These are opportunities that you get that you have to take advantage of. It was a 1-1 hockey game going into the third. All we asked of our guys is to be collective 10 percent better going into the third period.”

For the third time in Dallas’ three-game trip, that the Stars conceded the first goal to the home team, with Saku Koivu redirecting a puck into the back of the Stars net. Ducks’ forward Jason Blake got the puck deep into the Dallas zone and dumped it behind the net where it was collected by Teemu Selanne. The veteran’s pass to the top of the crease bounced in off of teammate Koivu’s skate, and after a brief review, the goal stood and the Stars were in an early hole.

The lead would not last long however, as hard work behind the Anaheim net produced the equalizer. The Stars fought off defensive pressure from the Ducks and eventually worked the puck off the boards to Jamie Benn who left it for defenseman Trevor Daley pinching in below the goal line. Brandon Segal knocked in the centering pass for his second goal of the season, just 56 seconds after Koivu’s marker.

For Benn, the assist marks his second point in as many nights (1-1-2) and his fifth point in the last six games (2-3-5).

The second period saw good action at both ends, but no changes on the scoreboard. For Dallas, it was James Neal who came up short on two occasions in the middle frame, with both chances developing off the stick of Brad Richards. Neal was stopped on a desperate glove save by Jonas Hiller eight minutes into the second period and three minutes later was stopped by the goal post after beating the goaltender.

“It was a 1-1 game going into the third. We had an opportunity to win the game on the road,” Stars’ Captain Brenden Morrow said after the game, “We didn’t play great, but I think we’d all trade in a sloppy game for a win. Once again, we just found a way to lose a game. It’s been special teams, and tonight it was low coverage against a line that we know what their strengths are around the net.”

The Ducks relied on their top line to put them back on top in the third period when Captain Ryan Getzlaf tallied his seventh goal and team leading 19th point of the season at 1:53. The play began after a bit of sustained pressure from the Anaheim side. Forward Corey Perry flipped a no-look pass through the crease between defensman Nicklas Grossman’s legs to an open Getzlaf who tapped it home.

Getzlaf, who ranks tied for fifth in the league with 19 points, has earned at least one point in five of his last seven games (4-2-6).

Jamie Benn had a chance to cut the deficit in half after being pulled down by Paul Mara on a breakaway. Benn was awarded a penalty shot but was stopped by Hiller’s leg pad. The penalty shot was the second of the season for the Stars. Loui Eriksson converted on his penalty shot on November 3rd against Pittsburgh.

Brad Richards cut the Ducks’ lead in half with his seventh goal of the season and 199th of his career with 3:38 remaining in regulation. The play developed as Eriksson’s dump-in caromed awkwardly off the end boards and onto Richards’ stick. Eriksson and James Neal both picked up their eighth helpers of the season on the play.

Bobby Ryan tied up the loose ends with his second goal of the night into an empty net with fourteen seconds remaining. Rookie defenseman Cam Fowler picked up two assists on the night for his first career multi-point effort.

“I think we hit three posts tonight. We gutted it out and we got better as the game went along.” Crawford said, “Unfortunately, we made a couple of miscues. But I don’t even want to call them miscues. One guy loses his stick on a penalty kill, and that’s what gave them their great scoring chance, and there’s a little bit of a mistake at the start of the third period on really a ‘nothing’ play.”

STARGAZING

Jamie Benn has points in consecutive games after scoring a goal Thursday night and earning an assist Friday Anaheim.